Convert PDF to PNG
A PDF to image converter for pages that should stay sharp. Drop in a document, pick the pages and the resolution, and download PNGs. The pages are drawn in this tab, so the file never leaves your machine.
The pages appear here once a PDF is open.
How to use it#
- Drop a PDF into the box above, or click it to choose one.
- Choose the pages you want, such as 1-3, 7. The first twenty are picked for you.
- Pick a resolution: 72, 150, or 300 dpi. The pages are drawn again whenever either setting changes.
- Download the images one at a time, or all of them as a zip.
PNG or JPG for a page#
Most PDF pages are text, tables, and line drawings: flat colour with hard edges. PNG stores those exactly, so every letter comes out as sharp as the renderer drew it. JPG blurs hard edges on purpose, because that is how it saves space, and the result is a faint grey haze around the text that shows up the moment someone zooms in.
The trade reverses for a page that is mostly photograph. A full page picture stored as PNG can be several times the size of the same page as JPG, with no difference anyone could see. For brochures, scans, and photo pages, the PDF to JPG tool is the better choice.
Choosing the resolution#
A PDF page is described in points, 72 to the inch, and has no pixel size until something draws it. 72 dpi draws one pixel per point, which is fine for a thumbnail and soft for small print. 150 dpi is right for reading on screen and for slides. 300 dpi is print resolution, for an image that will be printed, cropped close, or sent to a form that asks for 300 dpi.
PNG files grow with the pixel count, so an A4 page at 300 dpi, 2480 by 3508 pixels, is a large file however plain the page. Pick the lowest setting that looks right where the image is going. A page larger than A4, such as A3 or a poster, can be more pixels at 300 dpi than some browsers will put in one picture, about 16 million. It is then drawn at the highest resolution that fits, and its row says what that was.
Why the background is white and not transparent#
PNG can store transparency, so it is fair to ask why the pages come out on white. A PDF page has no background of its own. Every reader draws it on white paper, and the document was designed to be seen that way.
A transparent page of black text looks fine on a white web page and vanishes on a dark slide, a dark mode chat window, or a coloured document, which is where page images often end up. White keeps the page looking the way its author saw it wherever it lands.
Frequently asked questions#
Is my PDF uploaded to convert it?
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No. The pages are drawn by your own browser, in this tab, and the images are made here too. Nothing is sent to a server, so a confidential report stays on your machine.
Which resolution should I choose?
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150 dpi suits most uses and is the default. 72 dpi is for thumbnails and previews. 300 dpi is for an image that will be printed or zoomed into, and makes files about three to four times the size of 150.
Why are the PNG files bigger than the PDF?
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A PDF stores text as characters and a font, which takes very little room. A PNG stores every pixel of the drawn page. A few kilobytes of text in a PDF can become a few hundred kilobytes of picture, and more at 300 dpi.
Can I convert every page, or just one?
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Either. Type 1- in the pages box to run from the first page to the last, or a single number such as 4 for one page. One page downloads as a PNG, and several come as a zip with a file for each page.
Does it work on a password protected or copy protected PDF?
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Once the open password is off, yes: remove it with the PDF password remover, then bring the unlocked copy back here. A file that opens freely but whose author forbade copying is refused, because a PNG of each page takes its text and pictures with it, which is what the author ruled out. The file's owner password lifts that lock in the same remover, or the author can send a copy without it.
Can I get a transparent background?
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Not from this tool. Each page is drawn on white, because a PDF page is meant to be seen on paper and black text on a transparent background disappears against anything dark. To remove a white background from a page image afterwards, use the make background transparent tool.
Will the text in the PNG be searchable?
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No. A PNG is a picture of the page, so the words in it cannot be selected or searched. To get the words themselves, use the PDF to text tool, and keep the PDF for anything that needs both.